In the fall I helped a friend get to the emergency room after hurting her ankle in a frisbee game. A few weeks later she showed up with David Lebovitz’s “Ready for Dessert” as a thank-you. Best deal I ever made!
This cake is very easy to make and you can make it days ahead. It’s a great addition to a dessert spread if you have any gluten-free eaters at your table.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 6 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup butter
- 12 oz bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate1
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray or butter a 9” spring form pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment. Wrap the bottom of the pan tightly with foil.
Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl, set aside.
Prepare a double boiler over medium-high heat2. Add the butter and chocolate, stirring constantly until completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until all the lumps are gone.
Slowly, pour the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture stirring constantly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Place the pan in a large roasting pan to prepare the water bath. Add water to the roasting pan until it’s about an inch up the sides of the cake pan but not over the foil. You don’t want the water to get into the cake pan. Now that the water bath is ready, cover the cake pan tightly with foil.
Now we have – greased pan, with parchment on the bottom, bottom of pan wrapped in foil, batter in pan, placed in water bath, top of pan covered in foil. Phewf!
Place the roasting dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour + 15 minutes. When the cake is done you should be able to touch the top of the cake and have your finger come away clean. Allow to completely cool and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I recommend serving it with vanilla ice cream.
Let’s see some pictures!
Double boiler action
Pouring batter into prepared pan
Into the oven, all covered etc
Cooling, mine cracked 
And ready to eat! Note the size of the piece – this cake is RICH!
Notes:
- I usually end up using a combo of chocolate, whatever I have in the cupboard. Remember that 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips equals 2 oz of chocolate.
- My double boiler is a steel bowl over a large pot of simmering water, you can also use a glass bowl. Remember that the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water.